Let me
get this out of the way upfront: I do not own a Panini press. But I do like
sandwiches. Ideal platforms to showcase leftovers, sandwiches have a structured
elegance, the layers of ingredients ensuring the capture of all the flavor
components. To enjoy Kathy Strah’s 2013 “The
Ultimate Panini Press Cookbook,” you do not need to own a Panini press
(though it helps) or to love sandwiches (though that helps too). Instead,
approach this book as a way to make dinner and have enough leftovers for family
lunch the next day.
That was
my approach – cook once, eat twice - and it worked beautifully. For dinner,
grilled herbed vegetables (page 225) became grilled herb vegetable salad (page
227) for the next day’s lunch, and so on. From this perspective, it is possible
to see the family meal wheels spinning in Strahs’ head: create a great dinner and it can easily become a great Panini.
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Trout and Boursin on an English muffin |
Strahs
builds layers of flavor that work first as sauce or dressing, then as a
sandwich spread. Hawaiian flank steak teriyaki Panini (page 123), has five
flavor layers: marinated flank steak, seasoned mayonnaise, fried onions,
grilled pineapple (on the panini press) and fresh herbs. The dish involves
quite a few steps, none of which are difficult, but the preparation took more
than 30 minutes. (Keep in mind that all the components were put to use numerous
times and the time involved per meal diminishes.) Prepared for dinner, the
gingery teriyaki bounced off the anise notes of cilantro before coming back to
earth with meaty fried onions and mayo.
Impossible to stop eating and even better as sandwiches the next day.
I doubled
the amount of garlic and mustard called for in the marinated lamb chops (page
152) which transitioned nicely to lamb shawarma (page 153). The lemon-dill
yogurt sauce makes a nice change from tahini sauce and beautifully dresses the cucumber,
onion, tomato and lettuce as a wrap or salad.
Smoked
trout, Boursin and cucumber Panini (page 175) takes the fish sandwich concept down
to the studs. With little more than a bit of butter and a few slices of
cucumber, the sandwich relies on its fatty, smoky and juicy ingredients with
very little work from the cook. This is simple food at its best.
Melted
cheese is the gateway to Panini happiness and Strahs often uses cheese as a
platform for flavor. However, kale, grill-roasted garlic and cheddar Panini (page
212) is not just another grilled cheese sandwich. Yes, you have to sauté the
kale and yes, you have to roast the garlic but these booming additions to the sandwich
will make you rethink your daily bread. For example’ why don’t I use roasted
garlic more often? When roasted, garlic is sweet and creamy and is extremely palatable
for even the most finicky eater.
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Quinoa spinach and Feta cakes |
Serve
quinoa as a side dish for the marinated lamb and you already have the makings
for the spinach-feta quinoa cakes (page 234). (This dish is easily made vegan
by leaving out the cheese and egg. Or, to replace the egg, mix 1 tablespoon
ground golden flaxseed with 3 tablespoons warm water and let rest 10 minutes
before adding to the quinoa mixture) Stir in some (defrosted) chopped spinach,
herbs and lemon zest, then pan-fry for an easy meatless meal. Serve with the
leftover kale from the cheddar Panini.
Every
dish I prepared was a family hit; Strahs has a knack for compiling flavors from
a wide range of ethnic cuisines and making them American. Her techniques are
not complicated and her repertoire relies on mostly familiar flavors redesigned
with a twist. Take sandwiches to new heights or turn the ingredients into
dinner. No matter which path you choose, the recipes from “The Ultimate Panini
Press Cookbook” will please the palates of all kinds of American families.
For more
about Kathy and her passion for Panini, check out her blog, Panini Happy.
Labels: grilled cheese sandwiches, Kathy Strahs, marinated lamb chops, quinoa, quinoa cakes, sandwich recipes, smoked trout sandwich, The Ultimate Panini Press Cookbook